


Keeping the Faith

by MisMiz (Jaaaaack51)



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Friendship, Gen, Magnificent Seven AU: ATF, One Shot, Self-Esteem Issues, Team Dynamics, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 12:40:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5334455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaaaaack51/pseuds/MisMiz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ezra needs a hero.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keeping the Faith

 KEEPING THE FAITH

 

THWACK! SMACK! THUD! 

_Toss in a few BLAMS and KABLOOEYS and it would sound remarkably like one of those dreadful episodes of Batman that JD and Buck insist are classic television. Ha! More like a classic example of their execreble taste in television. And music. And food. And well, everything really._

Ezra Standish's thoughts were somewhat fuzzy as he tried to brace himself for the next blow. No matter what anyone said about disassociating oneself from the pain, it simply was not possible. It just kept hurting and hurting and hurting... 

"What do they know? Tell me!" Each word was punctuated by another blow. 

Ezra spit out a mouthful of blood. _I wonder what Mother would say about my captor’s dreadful manners?_

_She would say that only a fool would have accepted a position in law enforcement and that if I'd only listened to her, I could be sipping expensive champagne in the South of France at this very moment instead of sitting here forced to endure this undue incivility._ Ezra answered his own question. 

Question? Now why did he have the feeling that was somehow relevant to his current situation?

Another blow caused the southern ATF agent to double over, gasping for breath. It felt like he had some cracked ribs if the fiery pain in his chest was any indication.

"Answer me!" The voice demanded angrily.

_Oh yes. Question. The large, fashion impaired gentleman wants me to answer a question._

"I sincerely regret having to disappoint you, my charming friend, but I simply cannot recollect a thing. Blood, particularly my own, is not conducive to clear thought, you know." This piece of bravado cost Ezra his last remnants of strength. He only hoped the gun dealer didn't realize that. 

"What do you think we should do, Boss?" The third man in the room stood just behind the chair Ezra currently occupied.

"Damn. I can't cancel this deal. It's worth too much fucking money to me. See if you can switch the time and place." he ordered his cohort.

"What do you want to do with _him_?” the man prodded Ezra's sagging form disdainfully. 

"Just make sure he's tied up nice and tight. Have Johnson keep an eye on him. We might find a use for him, yet. In the meantime, we have things we need to take care of that are more pressing than one federal agent that everyone thinks is on our payroll anyway.”

The voices receded into the distance as the two men left the room.

Ezra let his body fall forward as far as the ropes which bound him would allow. A groan escaped his lips. His entire body throbbed with pain and the coppery taste of blood was making him feel nauseous.

"What's the matter pretty boy? You fall down and get a booboo?" The sneering voice of the man they called Johnson came from over near the door. He entered the room, heavy boots scuffing the floor as he walked, and pulled Ezra's unresisting body out of the chair. Ezra was vaguely aware of being dragged over to the storage closet at the far end of the room and shoved into the small space, his hands and feet still securely bound.

Ezra curled up in the corner of the closet and tried not to think about how hopeless his current situation appeared. There would be no Batman or Robin coming to rescue him. Or any of his fellow ATF agents either. They would all think he had run out on them. Ready to sell them out for the right price. The arms dealer and his people had been very efficient about it all. Had whispered words of bribery and corruption in certain ears, laying the groundwork for his disappearance. They'd even packed a suitcase and taken his car with them when they'd surprised him at home. Made it look like he'd left town suddenly. Yes. They had been admirably efficient. His fellow agents would have no reason to believe anything other than that he had betrayed them.

He couldn't blame the others for believing the worst about him. They could hardly do otherwise when he encouraged it at every opportunity. Pride would not allow him to defend himself against the rumors that had followed him from his time in the FBI. Especially as there was just enough truth to the rumors to fuel his shame and everyone else’s suspicions. And just this morning he'd had a rather heated argument with the others about their propensity to get involved in matters that were not their concern. It had started with Nathan's desire to help a gang member turned informant. He'd asked the rest of the team if they had any contacts that could help the young man start a new life somewhere else. Ezra had made a pointed remark about the futility of trying to change a person’s nature and things had gone from there. 

He hadn't really been talking about the young man, however. He'd been thinking of himself as he said it. Cowardly. Selfish. Unreliable. The other men were right not to trust him. He wanted them to, though. That was the ironic part. Even as he cultivated his flippant attitude to keep them at a distance, he couldn't bring himself to leave them. They would have to abandon him first. And they would. He didn't deserve anything else. His whole life was a testament to unfulfilled promises and careful lack of commitments.

_Mr. Larabee is likely imagining the 101 ways he shall kill me if I ever dare show my face around Denver again._

_Mr. Tanner is shaking his head, not looking surprised in the least._

_Mr. Jackson is congratulating himself on having been correct about me all along._  

The bitterness of his thoughts did not quite hide the pain he felt at the thought of his teammates. _His friends if they would have him._ he thought with another knife like twist of his guts.

Ezra closed his eyes and tried to formulate a plan. Nothing sprang immediately to mind. The shooting pain in his chest every time he drew a breath and the assorted sharp aches and pains everywhere else made it difficult to concentrate.

He finally fell into a fitful sort of doze and it took him a few minutes before he realized that what he was hearing was not a dream.

"ATF. Freeze!" That was definitely the voice of JD.

"Find Ezra. He's around here somewhere." That particular voice of authority was also unmistakeable.

Then the door was being opened and light flooded the small area. Ezra closed his eyes against the brightness. He felt gentle hands remove the ropes which bound him.

"Nathan. Get over here. They messed him up pretty good." The urgent voice belonged to Vin. 

Seconds later, Ezra felt a pair of familiar hands probing his various injuries. He stifled a groan. He felt vulnerable enough at the moment without letting them know how much pain he was in. 

"How is he, Nathan?" The anxiety in JD's voice caused him to open his eyes in surprise. The others couldn't possibly care that much about him. Could they? He looked up and saw all five of the other agents gathered around him and Nathan. Their faces all wore identical looks of concern. Ezra felt something catch in his throat. Suddenly, it was important that they knew.

"Kept the faith." he whispered, looking directly at Chris. "Didn't run out. Didn’t sell you out.” 

Nathan looked up from his examination of Ezra's ribs just then.

"I think they broke a couple of ribs and we need to get you to a hospital and make sure there's no internal bleeding. Your face isn't going to be too pretty for a while, but I think you ought to make a full recovery."

JD and the others breathed sighs of relief. 

"You might not want to look in a mirror for a while, Ezra." JD suggested. “Your face is all swollen and you're going to have a couple of beautiful shiners and.."

"Ooof..." JD's catalogue of Ezra's injuries was cut short by an elbow in the ribs from Buck.

"I have faith in him. He'll be just fine." With that quiet declaration, Chris turned and began barking orders at the team. Business as usual.

Ezra relaxed and let his friends take care of everything. He should have had faith in them, as well. He wouldn't make that mistake again. Who the hell needed Batman and Robin anyway? Certainly not him. 

The End

 

**Author's Note:**

> Ezra does have some issues, doesn't he? At least he is consistent with them. :D


End file.
